Opinions on muscle memory

**illwillogical** · 05-30-2008, 02:25 PM

I want some opinions on muscle memory. I got out of the military back in Feb and was being a rebel havent been to the gym once since. I do pushups and situps every now and again, and have a lot of sex but thats about it. I have lost about 20lbs the last 4 months, and increased bodyfat lol. I'm hoping that this "Muscle Memory" phenomenon is real because I am going to start training hardcore, eating right, and my first cycle next week with Test CYP. I do believe in this phenomenom to an extent. When I was in the military just as it is in a lot of places the question everyone would ask, "how much can you bench". So to be competitive and to boost my ego, I used to be really hardcore on chest day and would bench with a powerlifter technique, you know shoulder blades clenched back arched and really using my feet and body to make the lift, anyways the point to this is, that sometimes I would plateau on my bench, and other lifts too. Sometimes I would take up to a month off, come back to the gym and didn't lose much if any weight on my sets or 1RM. I would get really sore from the workouts from the time off, and almost everytime I did this in 2 weeks I would add 20lbs on my bench. I don't know why I would plateau, I don't really think I was overtraining, I think my body after awhile just would get used to the lifting 6 days a week and not get any stronger. But this time around like I said before I haven't touched a dumbbell in 4 month's and I'm thinking I really set myself back. So I'm looking for reassurance, do you think it will take very long to get back to the same level I was 4 month's ago? I would like to hear anyone that has had a lot of time off tell me their stories and what they think about muscle memory.

**IronReload04** · 05-30-2008, 03:04 PM

why do you need to do a steroid cycle?

**scottythebody** · 05-30-2008, 03:48 PM

If you haven't lifted in 4 months, why are you jumping right into a cycle next week?

**buffgator** · 05-30-2008, 03:56 PM

I took 6 months of and when I came back my gains where out of control. You will want to hold of at least a couple months to cycles though. You will already get steroid like gains the first few months back, but also you need to give your body especialy ligament and tendons time to get readjusted otherwise you will be taking allot more time of if an injurty happens

**james21** · 05-30-2008, 04:02 PM

Originally Posted by buffgator

I took 6 months of and when I came back my gains where out of control. You will want to hold of at least a couple months to cycles though. You will already get steroid like gains the first few months back, but also you need to give your body especialy ligament and tendons time to get readjusted otherwise you will be taking allot more time of if an injurty happens

^^ Muscle memory is definately real, i lost almost 30lbs and put it right back on when hitting the weights again.

**spywizard** · 05-30-2008, 04:07 PM

it's about the diet.. cycle or not..

but you will need to educate yourself about diet and eating.. the older we get the slower we get, once the body creates a fat cell, you can shrink it.. but, very little to eliminate it..

muscle memory is the bomb..

**Pinnacle** · 05-30-2008, 04:08 PM

Not only is "muscle memory" real, there is such thing as "diet memory" too. Veryyyyy interesting...

**inky-e** · 05-30-2008, 04:27 PM

Speaking from personal experience, I took many, many years off from lifting, or any type of real exercise. As a younger guy, I was very athletic and had a decent build.Well I got back into it almost 2 yrs ago, I gotta say I do think my body responded very well to the lifting and I'm in pretty good shape right now. Actually to be honest, the best shape ever I think. So was it muscle memory, maybe. IDK

**Lemonada8** · 05-30-2008, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by buffgator

I took 6 months of and when I came back my gains where out of control. You will want to hold of at least a couple months to cycles though. You will already get steroid like gains the first few months back, but also you need to give your body especialy ligament and tendons time to get readjusted otherwise you will be taking allot more time of if an injurty happens

this is the best advice for you, IMHO... dont jump on a cycle right away, wait a couple of months then think about it...

**illwillogical** · 05-30-2008, 06:11 PM

Originally Posted by IronReload04

why do you need to do a steroid cycle?

Why do you reply to a question with a question? I thought this was my thread.

Anyways guy's thanks for the advice, I have all I need for a bread and butter stack but I will wait to do something like that for like my third cycle, but from what I have read a good first cycle is something like 400-500mg of Test CYP for 12 weeks. Everyone is saying wait a while for the cycle but thats really hard when the Test is right in front of my face. Come on guys Test for 10-12weeks isn't going to hurt me right? I'm probably going to start Monday unless someone can really convince me otherwise, I haven't been lifting but I haven't been a total bum, I have been doing a lot of physical activity, like surfing, picking up small women, and helping all my buddies move heavy shit which seems like they all want to do at the same time, so I'm sure my tendons haven't totally pussed out on me, but anymore POSITIVE feedback would be greatly appreciated. I especially like Buffgators advice because he is positive, informative, and don't try to be a dick when someone asks a question.

**bigt10** · 05-30-2008, 06:47 PM

ofcourse its not gonna hurt you.

IMO i think you wouldnt want to get the max benefit of the test.

Thats why some of these guys are saying hit the weights for 2-6 months, get some muscle memory back, get focused, get used to working out again once its all great then go on a cycle.

The test wont hurt you but it wont work the best. Thats why they tell young guys around 19-22 to not use AAS mostly cause of their lifestyle. I really dont beleive once your bones are fused that AAS is going to harm your HTPA or hurt you, but also when your young your test levels are high enough to get big.

Its useless to cycle and eat nothing, no workout plan, and drink all the time and expect to get big.

Steroids dont hurt people, they are just saying this cause it is kind of a waste of time and you need to get back what you had naturally. So no they wont "hurt" you but they wont be as effective.

**IronReload04** · 05-30-2008, 06:52 PM

Originally Posted by Pinnacle

Not only is "muscle memory" real, there is such thing as "diet memory" too. Veryyyyy interesting...

Like, if you diet down for a show, get the bodyfat back up to say 12-14 percent......and it will be easier to do the second and third show compared to the first?

Is that what you mean? Because I have never had real low bodyfat yet, but that has been my theory.

**IronReload04** · 05-30-2008, 06:53 PM

illwilllogic-

It was polite way of saying exactly what everyone else said.

**IronReload04** · 05-30-2008, 06:58 PM

Think about this for a second illwill

Why do you want to use your ace card while you have something fantastic like muscle memory in your hands. Your wasting a powerful card by using your ace before you need to. Take the 2-6 months like others have said. Then use the ace if you want to.....Me personally, I am putting in about 6-7 years proper training and dieting before i pull out my ace card.

**Pinnacle** · 05-30-2008, 07:21 PM

Originally Posted by IronReload04

Like, if you diet down for a show, get the bodyfat back up to say 12-14 percent......and it will be easier to do the second and third show compared to the first?

Is that what you mean? Because I have never had real low bodyfat yet, but that has been my theory.

Yes, that plus I've seen many guys over the years diet down to say 8% (never less) repeatedly, then when they wanted to try and get leaner, they had a very difficult time doing so. Their bodies seemed to be used to getting down to a certain level of conditioning, but try to break through that plateau seemed difficult for most guys to do.
But it is true to some extent that after you diet down to contest condition several times, it seems your body doesn't fight as hard as it previously did.

**illwillogical** · 05-30-2008, 08:03 PM

Originally Posted by IronReload04

illwilllogic-

It was polite way of saying exactly what everyone else said.

My bad, I just defensive sometimes, from what I have read on this forum some people just never have anything good to say and are going to try to figure out how to lay into someone no matter what the question is.

**illwillogical** · 05-30-2008, 08:18 PM

Originally Posted by IronReload04

Think about this for a second illwill

Why do you want to use your ace card while you have something fantastic like muscle memory in your hands. Your wasting a powerful card by using your ace before you need to. Take the 2-6 months like others have said. Then use the ace if you want to.....Me personally, I am putting in about 6-7 years proper training and dieting before i pull out my ace card.

I don't see why its a waste. I'm not worried about the money I spend on a cycle. I don't want to do something totally unhealthy. I'll compare this to suppen up your car. I have a pretty strong stock engine gets the job done more horsepower than most of the guys on the block, but I have a supercharger in the garage, now like I said my stock engine is good but if I put that supercharger on there its going to shit and get. I have a lot of training under my belt, I'm 28 years old and have been lifting since I was 14, albeit there were some breaks in there, but never more than a few months, this last break I had was my longest one ever. I know by just lifting hard and eating good I'll gain weight and get back my strength, but I think the steroids are my supercharger and push me places where I have never been. I just feel that I have them, I might as well use them, unless its not really going to help.

So if someone can tell me that the test isn't going to make things go a little faster, then I won't use it.

**Lemonada8** · 05-30-2008, 08:20 PM

Originally Posted by buffgator

You will want to hold of at least a couple months to cycles though. You will already get steroid like gains the first few months back, but also you need to give your body especialy ligament and tendons time to get readjusted otherwise you will be taking allot more time of if an injurty happens

I still think this is the best advice.... you took some time off, you will get back where u were in a few months, hence the 'steroid like' gains... i say hold off for a couple of months, then think of startin a cycle....

**illwillogical** · 05-30-2008, 08:22 PM

Originally Posted by Lemonada8

I still think this is the best advice.... you took some time off, you will get back where u were in a few months, hence the 'steroid like' gains... i say hold off for a couple of months, then think of startin a cycle....

I know I'll have good gains when I get back just by training naturally. But won't I have even better gains if I take some Test?

**Lemonada8** · 05-30-2008, 08:24 PM

"also you need to give your body especialy ligament and tendons time to get readjusted otherwise you will be taking allot more time of if an injurty happens"

this is also a big part of what i agree with... sure you will have gains, but they will be about the same untill u catch up w/ how u were... thats when u start the test, and ull keep gaining...

**Pinnacle** · 05-30-2008, 08:24 PM

Originally Posted by illwillogical

I don't see why its a waste. I'm not worried about the money I spend on a cycle. I don't want to do something totally unhealthy. I'll compare this to suppen up your car. I have a pretty strong stock engine gets the job done more horsepower than most of the guys on the block, but I have a supercharger in the garage, now like I said my stock engine is good but if I put that supercharger on there its going to shit and get. I have a lot of training under my belt, I'm 28 years old and have been lifting since I was 14, albeit there were some breaks in there, but never more than a few months, this last break I had was my longest one ever. I know by just lifting hard and eating good I'll gain weight and get back my strength, but I think the steroids are my supercharger and push me places where I have never been. I just feel that I have them, I might as well use them, unless its not really going to help.

So if someone can tell me that the test isn't going to make things go a little faster, then I won't use it.

It will help, BUT your conditioning isn't great right now since you haven't been training, so that will effect the cycle quite alot.
Secondly, your tendons need strengthening before starting back going full blast.

Anyway, you are going to do the drugs regardless, so I'll keep this post extremely short..

**Lemonada8** · 05-30-2008, 08:28 PM

Originally Posted by illwillogical

I don't see why its a waste. I'm not worried about the money I spend on a cycle. I don't want to do something totally unhealthy. I'll compare this to suppen up your car. I have a pretty strong stock engine gets the job done more horsepower than most of the guys on the block, but I have a supercharger in the garage, now like I said my stock engine is good but if I put that supercharger on there its going to shit and get. I have a lot of training under my belt, I'm 28 years old and have been lifting since I was 14, albeit there were some breaks in there, but never more than a few months, this last break I had was my longest one ever. I know by just lifting hard and eating good I'll gain weight and get back my strength, but I think the steroids are my supercharger and push me places where I have never been. I just feel that I have them, I might as well use them, unless its not really going to help.

So if someone can tell me that the test isn't going to make things go a little faster, then I won't use it.

but would u use the supercharger w/o the proper suspension? or transmission? i think not because of risk of damaging the body of the car

**illwillogical** · 05-30-2008, 08:31 PM

Originally Posted by Pinnacle

It will help, BUT your conditioning isn't great right now since you haven't been training, so that will effect the cycle quite alot.
Secondly, your tendons need strengthening before starting back going full blast.

Anyway, you are going to do the drugs regardless, so I'll keep this post extremely short..

Alright, you guys have convinced me. I will lift for at least a month maybe 2 before I start the cycle. I know, I know, I'm one of those people that like to have my way, and have people tell me what I want to hear. LOL

**Pinnacle** · 05-30-2008, 08:32 PM

Originally Posted by illwillogical

Alright, you guys have convinced me. I will lift for at least a month maybe 2 before I start the cycle. I know, I know, I'm one of those people that like to have my way, and have people tell me what I want to hear. LOL

Atta boy :-)